Full Citation

Title: A GIS-Based Analysis of the Influenza Epidemic of 1918 in One American City

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2001

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Abstract: This paper examines both the diffusion of the 1918 influenza epidemic and characteristics of victims within one community: Hartford, Connecticut. To the investigators' knowledge, this is one of the first studies to use a modern-day mapping technique to track the incidence of the 1918 epidemic within one community. Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the paper investigates the geographic points of origin and the street-level pathways the disease traversed on a day-to-day basis. This allows the authors to measure the tempo of the epidemic spread as well as graphically indicate barriers that may have prevented movement of the disease across space. The GIS analysis furthermore allows the authors to graphically display the incidence and the spread of the disease for different subgroups in the population. The paper also constructs a detailed profile of the flu victims and calculates mortality rates for different areas within the City. To accomplish these objectives, a historical digitized street map is first constructed based upon the streets and address ranges that existed in 1918. Street addresses of flu victims (taken from death certificates) are then geocoded to their respective city blocks. Additionally, demographic information retrieved from the death certificates and from other historical sources is incorporated into a statistical database that is used in the GIS analysis and also to profile victims. The paper concludes with a discussion of how to employ the modern research technique of GIS to increase our understanding of other diseases that occurred in the past and may recur.

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Authors: Tuckel, Peter

Conference Name: American Public Health Association

Publisher Location: Atlanta, GA

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Fertility and Mortality

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